204 ruger

makaira

makaira

New member
Put money down on a Ruger M77 mark II all-weather in .204. The barrel twist rate (?) is 1-12". Is this rate sufficient to fire the 40 grain bullets? I believe that is the one I would prefer to shoot. Pick it up Friday, it's gonna be a long week waiting.
Thanks for your time /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
Congradulations, should be a dandy. The next gun I purchase is gonna be the M77 with laminated stock and 26" heavy barrell. I'll force myself to lug that thing around from stand to stand.

Joey
 
Makaira:

Congratulations on the purchase.

In response to your question, all factory 204 Ruger chambered rifles have 1 in 12" twist barrels.

Some folks have found that the 40 grain Hornady VMax may not shoot as well as the 32 grain VMax in their factory barrels. Most of those folks have found, however, that the 39 grain Sierra shoots great in the same barrel they get so-so accuracy with using the 40 grain bullet. If you hand load, it should not be a problem to use the heavier 39 grain Sierra bullets if the 40 VMax doesn't satisfy you.

I have owned 2 Ruger stainless Ultralites with the 20" barrel (foolishly sold the first and bought another) and a Remington 700 with a 24" barrel. All three shot the 40 grain Vmax bullets very well in limited use. I don't shoot a lot of factory bullets however, because I hand swage my own 20 caliber bullets.

I also own a couple of Tac 20 rifles with custom barrels - both with 12" twists and they both shoot the 40 grain Vmax accurately, again with limited use.

Hopefuly your rifle will shoot the 40's and if you hand load, I'm fairly certain the 39's will shoot great for you if need be. Lots of folks have reported excellent results with the Sierra bullets, both in accuracy and in terminal performance.

Good luck when you get your rifle. - BCB
 
My Remington didn't like the 40gr V-Max or Remington's 40gr ammo. It really likes the 39gr BK's tho. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif I've been working with the 40gr Berger HP's & Re10X. My rifle seems to like that combo with a Rem 7 1/2 primer a whole lot better. Good Luck.
 
Mak,
My #1 Ruger 204 likes the factory 40 gr Hornady just fine. Good enough to consistently take groundhogs at 350-400 yds. It has the 26" medium heavy barrel.

P.S...On your Nick. Being an offshore fishing guide, on Jan 3rd 1977 I named my first daughter Makaira. About 8 months later, on Aug 7th, 77 I was fishing in St. Thomas and caught the All Tackle world record Blue Marlin, Makaira Indica, that stood for almost 20 years, 1282 lbs.

Luck? Or a reward for having the good sense to name my kid after the most beautiful creature on the face of the earth?

Twilight zone stuff.

P.S.S..Released a 600 pounder yesterday, as a matter of fact.
 
Good luck! from my expereince I have found that it didn't really matter what I preferred. The gun will tell you what to feed it. I have two .204s and neither one will shoot the 40s. But I get little bitty tiny groups with the 32 grain V-Max. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif
 
I fished the drop for 2 seasons, and wish I could do it again! Nothing like pitching macks to those amazing animals(is it me, or are those fish more aggressive than elsewhere?). Fished with Arch Bracker in Mex. long ago on the old Pelican. Learned more in 3 days with him, man you Carolina boys know the game. Good luck and let one go for me! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Arch docks 2 slips from me. We're in the middle of a good White Marlin bite right now, 10-18 fish per day, per boat.

I'd still rather be hunting though.
 


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